Jul 01, 2018 am - If variety is the spice of life, John must have been a very bland fellow. His First Epistle was written to people he knew well and in whom he had more than a professional interest. But read it from start to finish, and you'll find no trace of what you find so often in the Epistles of Paul, bits of personal news-innocent gossip you might say. There's plenty of this in II and 3 John, but none of it here in 1 John. This suggests how worried John was about his dear children in Christ, and how seriously he took the threat of heresy and what it always produces. The Apostle is all business here, and the business he conducts is summed up in three bullet-points: (1) Obedience, (2) Love, and (3) Truth. Whatever else he cares about, these he cares about most. This makes you wonder about many of the successful Christian ministries of today. What are their bullet-points? Health and Wealth? Peace of mind? Social Justice? Right Wing Politics? I am for some of these things, but I do not think they ought to be the emphases of any church anywhere, at any time! Standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ, I don't think anyone will be asked about his bank account, her medical records, or what ...More >>>